Antimicrobial Stewardship in Long-Term Care Facilities

CDPHE supports stewardship in skilled nursing facilities/nursing homes with tools and resources. CDC provides a framework for antimicrobial stewardship with the Core Elements of Antibiotic Stewardship for Nursing Homes. Prescribers, nurses, and other members of a care team can use these resources to support antimicrobial stewardship in nursing homes. 

2023 Antimicrobial Stewardship Tag Busters Learning Series

CDPHE has partnered with Telligen QI Connect of Colorado and Colorado Health Care Association & Center for Assisted Living to bring Long-Term Care Facilities a learning series called “Applying Antibiotic Use Data to Improve Patient Care”. This series focuses on improving antimicrobial stewardship practices through antibiotic action, tracking and reporting. 
Please visit the Telligen hosted website for more information.

CDPHE Toolkits for Long-term Care Facilities

The LTCF Respiratory Viruses and Antimicrobial Stewardship Toolkit contains links to key resources to support antimicrobial stewardship when respiratory viruses are prevalent.

CDPHE’s Antibiotic Tracking Tool for LTCF. CDPHE’s Antibiotic Tracking Tool for LTCF. Please utilize this tool within Google Sheets to track antibiotic usage and infection types among residents. If you need to work with an Excel file of the tool, please email us with your request. 

Antibiotic Time-Out Checklist - Use this checklist can be utilized to take a Time-Out to reassess appropriateness of an antibiotic within 48-72 hours after the antibiotic start date.

Suspected Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Action Tool - This resource can guide nursing staff in the initial evaluation of possible UTI in residents without a urinary catheter.

Talking with Residents and Family Members about Antibiotics - AHRQ. This resource provides communication examples for care team staff when discussing UTIs and appropriate use of antibiotics with residents and family members.

Antibiotic use in nursing homes: a summary of guideline recommendations for common indications. This is a summary of existing published evidence-based guidance for urinary tract infection, community-acquired bacterial pneumonia, and skin and soft tissue infection. This summary is a tool to assist outpatient nursing home antimicrobial stewardship programs to support goals of “right antibiotic,” “right dose,” and “right duration.”